DEFENCE OF JERUSALEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1918, Page 6

DEFENCE OF JERUSALEM.

DESPERATE TURKISH ATTACKS. CHUJsILLNULY DEFEATED. IIKIIOiC i'IiATS BY BRITISH TiUlOl'.S. An interesting and vivid account of the manner in which tin; Turkish attempt to recapture Jerusalem way defeated iby General Allenby's armv i« given by ill'. V/. T. llassey in the iioudon Daily Chronicle. Since Boxing Day, says Mr. Maascy' oji December 31, General Allenby-s .army has followed up one brilliantly fought battle by a series of engagements, which have brought under the control of the British Palestine Army the whole of the watershed between the Mediterranean, and the Jordan, as far north as Tlb'eh, and wo have a splendid line across the high paas, the scene of many conflicts of ancient tinier The troops are now well north of tills; line, for yesterday we occupied Beitin, the [Bethel of the Scriptures, and a beautiful water supply between Bireh and llamallas has been secured. This rapid advance in most difficult country is due to the overwhelming defeat of the Turkish attempt to retake Jerusalem on December- 27, when, after resisting desperate attacks for nearly 12 hours, the British delivered a masterly counterstroke, and rolled up the enemy rk'V; ' causing the Turks who had sustain, tremendous losses, to yield almost impregnable positions 'and fall hack along the NabluH road, leaving in our firm possesion points bf great strategical importance. Loudon Territorials, Welshmen, Home Counties' Dismounted Yeomanry, innd Irish troopa showed thp highest courage, Their dashing work will adorn the pases of our military history, hut their efforts would not. have been so fully successful if they had not been hacked by perfect stuff wort. There was no semblance of a hitch at any part of the wide battle front, although the army was confronted hy a. colossal task in transport rendered terribly difficult by the unfavorable weather. ENEMY RETREATING. The Turks are now so far away from Jerusalem that when the Greek Orthodox service of thanksgiving was held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre yesterday not a sound of the guns reached the Holy City, and it was only when one went out a considerable distance on the Xablus road that one could see our artillery driving back the enemy rearguards. The Turks seem to have rend aright the lesson of their heavy defeat, and appear to be retiring northward. . The enemy had two army corps in making the attempt to retake Jerusalem. The- attack was made by the third Turkish corps, incli'.ling a new division from the Caucasus, from the north along the Nablus road, the twentieth Turkish corps making a demonstration from the east, and later fighting very hard ftir some vital positions. Prisoners state that one Turkish battalion commander told his men there were no TCngtish troops in front. He had been wftlr-liin« for days, and he assured the battalion that no English were there. Tiiev could f?o straight into Jerusalem, where thev could get food It would ho the list chnnee of rptakin? the city, and if Ihev failed tbev would have to go hack. These Turks were given "strict orders not to mutilate the wounded onemv. The first objective was Tel-cl-Ful. a '•i"h conical-shaped hill jn=t co'-t of the Vf.'hliis road, and commanding the height dominating onr east and west for a considerable dislaiice. ATTACK BKGIXS AT *MIJ)X](3HT. During daylight on Boxing Day the Turks showed no mo\em.:it out just before midnight a post north of Tel-el-Eui was driven in. At twenty minutes past one the first attack on Tel-el-Kul was made, and at the same time an advance was begun against licit liannina, about a mih* west of the road. This lino was defended by London Territorials, who added to their grand record during the campaign hy meeting attack after attack with magnilicent steadiness, standing like rocks against most furious onslaughts, and never once yielding an incli of ground. Two companies defending Beit Ilafinina were attacked four times by storming troops, each attack being stronger than the la>-t. The fourth, delivered by 500 picked Turks, was entirely beaten back after prolonged hand-to-hand fighting. The enemy, dead show many bayonet wounds, whilst the hillside is also strewn with Turks killed by maehine-gun fire. , There were eight attacks on Tel-ei-Ful. , These were also made with great weight I ; and determination. The strongest of , them all was delivered with a rcin- , forced line made at.dawn and supporti cd by heavy artillery fire. All were dei feated with great loss to the enemy. Between 7 o'clock and noon the enemy ( organised for a last big effort, and about [ 12,30 the Turks tried to assault the , whole of the Londoners' line except the > Xebi Samwil height, which is crowned , hy a mosque, and which had been ruin- , cd by enemy gunfire. This filial attack t was preßsod right up to our positions. t Londoners and Turks getting to deadly grips. , The enemy proved no match .for the ] London Territorials, who, after rakin" s the advancing waves with machine-guns, . cleared his breastworks at a bound, met ; the foe with the bayonet, forced him t back, and then, iwith welK-uipported' , counter-attack, made the enemv cry . "Enough." That was the last attempt 5 by the Turks to get to Jerusalem, and |. in the fighting on subsequent days we I see how much their moral has been affected by the terrible losses sustained in , these series of attacks, which lasted for more than 24 hours on the north and east. Before describing how the Welsh and Home Counties troops smashed up the advance of the Turkish Twentieth Corps ' east of Jerusalem, I will tell bow the 1 British commander, swiftly realising 1 how deeply committed the Turks were ' to the attack on Jerusalem, .put in Irish t and dismounted Yeomanry against the enemy right, and caused the Turks to » divert the new Caucasian division from I the attack on Jerusalem to trv to save | their right flank. This. flanking movement was carried out with such clash that we actually made much more ground J than we could possibly have hoped for j if the British had been acting on the t offensive. I SCAIJNG PRECIPITOUS HILL. ~ Those who have seen the terrain mar--3 Tel at the achievements of the diss mounted Yeomanry and Irishmen. They f moved from Beth Horon, where there 3 has been much fighting, Jvortlj-cast-fte Yeomen attedted at 3SI Tire!

at a time when it was not strongly held, but, just as they secured it a Turkish storming battalion was advancing to it.. The cneiuy, thus forestalled, counterattacked, hut the Yeomanry rushed at, (hem, and counted 70 Turks killed by tho il.ayonct alone. The hill near 'by was so steep that it took two hours to pet supplies up to the top. Another hillside was so precipitous tluit the only way the troops could get up the terraced slopes was by men standing on c-ieh other s shoulders. TJie hillside, In facl, was so nearly perpendicular that tho Turks on the top could not fire on the climbers till they were at close tersWhile (he Irish and the Yeomen were advancing the men in reserve were making roads for the guns, which had to lie hauled by hand, and when the Yeomen captured, fieitania they had a whole brigade of guns just behind the front line, though it was sometimes necessary for : whole company of infantry to haul the ropes attached to one gun, which at / moments was literally dangling in tne air. JERUSALEM'S SAFE!*. Zsitun ridge, taken by the Irish, was a tremendous obstacle to scale. It was a great feat in itself, and to fight and defeat the stubborn foe on the top was to achieve the seemingly impossible. The Irish captured seven machine-guns on this ridge. The importance of the victory is the protection Jerusalem has secured by the very strong line of positions we have gained. TVe have also got unlimited water. ' The behaviour of the troops has been '. • ond praise. The physical difficulties of the country and the trials ol ruin and cold winds had no effect on their spirits. They all feel they liavc got the Turks beaten. As an instance of the enormous labor entailed in supplying the troops over tracks mada slippery with mud it mav be mentionefl that all the supplies and material for the Irish ivnd Yeomen during their break iiu of the Turkish right had ta be drawn from the railhead first in motor lorries as fur as the road ran, and then by wheeled transport to n point where no wheels could travel: afterwards by camel transport, till the tracks got too bad for camels, when donkeys carried the loads, and finally men took them where donkeys could not obtain a foothold. The victory was purchased at a cost of much exertion, hut cyery soldier agrees , that it was worth even a greater price. I